West Palm Beach Plans Free Parking

June 26, 2001|By Glenn Singer Business Writer and Business Writer Marcia Heroux Pounds contributed to this report.

WEST PALM BEACH — Seeking to keep a revitalized downtown flourishing, Mayor Joel Daves proposed Monday offering free nighttime parking and creating an entertainment district to support special events and street entertainment.

Daves' proposal, which is expected to go before the City Commission within a month, resulted largely from concerns by business owners in the Clematis Street area that nearby CityPlace, with its upscale eateries and stores, has taken away shoppers and, in particular, restaurant patrons.

"People have come to expect free parking downtown since CityPlace opened last fall with almost 3,000 free spaces," Daves said at a morning news conference.

"While downtown is in this critical growth mode, we will maintain the free parking initiative to generate more business in the area," he said.

Several dozen free parking spaces are provided on Clematis Street, but the number diminishes at night when valet services operate there.

Other nearby streets have parking meters.

Daves' plan, which was endorsed by the Downtown Development Authority, calls for free parking in the Banyan Boulevard and Evernia Street garages and some private lots after 5 p.m. with proof of purchase from any area business on the same day.

Daves' proposed entertainment district would be bordered by Banyan Boulevard on the north, Flagler Drive on the east, Fern Street on the south and Rosemary Avenue on the west.

The district would host special and feature street entertainers such as musicians, magicians, jugglers and dancers.

To finance marketing and special events, Daves suggested that all property and business owners in the district be assessed between 10 cents and 15 cents per square foot periodically, generating more than $350,000 in the first fiscal year.

An additional $250,000 a year would come from the city and $200,000 from corporate sponsorships, he said.

Longtime Clematis Street retailer George Greenberg of Pioneer Linens said he approves of the mayor's retail tax, even though his store won't benefit directly from nighttime traffic.

"We're not open in the evenings," but turning Clematis into an entertainment district will help everyone, Greenberg said. "Even the retailers will benefit."

But Dale Brisson, manager of Sforza restaurant, also on Clematis Street, said he is concerned about who will decide how the tax money should be spent.

"One voice needs to be heard, and I don't want it coming from the city," he said. "They're not the ones paying the taxes."

Business Writer Marcia Heroux Pounds contributed to this report.

Glenn Singer can be reached at gsinger@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6612.